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USO in a Box Lands at FOB Westbrook

This USO is a BOX is fully operational! (Photo courtesy of USO El Paso)

Great news! Last week we shipped a USO in a Box from Baltimore, MD to FOB Westbrook on McGregor Range in New Mexico, which – for those who’ve never visited – is essentially in the middle of a desert. As of Saturday, the USO in a Box wasfully operational and the troops from FOB Westbrook began enjoying the full range of the great entertainment that it has to offer.

At first, the troops were curious as to what a USO in a Box actually was, but once the box was set up and running, they were blown away with excitement! Some troops were already enjoying the amenities while we were still completing the finishing touches for delivery. The standard USO in a Box features Internet access, two rugged laptops, four flat screen televisions, a DVD player, VoIP, three Xbox® 360 gaming systems and surround sound.

USO in a Box features - among other amenities - a gaming station with surround shown, as shown in this model, on display at Fort Belvoir in May 2010. (USO photo by Em Hall)

Because of this FOB’s location, it acts as a simulation of FOB’s in Afghanistan. As troops are preparing for their deployments, they now not only receive their essential training, but get a little taste of what the USO has to offer while they are deployed in remote locations.

We’d like to give a special thanks to a few people that were instrumental in the success of the USO in a Box being delivered to FOB McGregor. This could not have happened if it weren’t for El Paso Center Director Yolanda Castillo; USO El Paso Program Manager Robert Medrano; and Director of Logistics & Facilities Jonathan Matthews. They all worked hard to get the USO in a Box from Baltimore to McGregor with zero errors or speed bumps. Great job!

USO El Paso will be overseeing this USO in a Box while at McGregor. They will work closely with FOB Westbrook to ensure the future success of this great program.